The Federation of International Football association have handed Ghanaian player Michael Boateng a worldwide liftetime ban after he admitted accepting a bribe to fix a match in the Conference South.

The former Crystal Palace youth product, Michael Boateng was jailed for 16 months in December 2014 and issued with a lifetime ban from the English FA, which has now been extended by world governing body FIFA, after he accepted charges relating to his time at Whitehawk FC.

A statement on FIFA’s website read:

“A lifetime ban imposed by The Football Association (The FA) against British player Michael Boateng (from England) in relation to match manipulation has been extended by FIFA to have worldwide effect.”

Michael Boateng admitted to charges laid against him by The FA for several breaches of The FA Rules, including accepting a bribe, gift, reward or other consideration which was, or appeared to be, related to seeking to influence the outcome or conduct of a match or competition. The player also admitted to the charge of failing to report the offer made to him.

The charges relate to matches in the Conference South in the sixth tier of the English football league system in 2013.

*Former Sewe Sports coach Rigo Gervais says he is ready to handle Ghanaian champions Asante Kotoko who are without a coach since asking Mas-Ud Dramani to proceed on leave three weeks ago.

The 45-year-old was sacked after the Ivorian side were eliminated from the CAF Champions League after losing 3-2 on aggregate to Guinean side AS Kaloum at the preliminary round stage.

Gervais won two Ivorian league titles, two Super Cups, one national cup final, Champions League quarter-final berth and reached the final of the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup.

He told Techiman-based Gaskiya FM: “I decided to leave Sewe Sports to start a new challenge be it in Abidjan here or anywhere. I know more about Kotoko, They are a big club not only in Ghana but Africa.

“I have watched them last season in Kumasi in a Champions league game where I came to monitor the two sides because my club were to meet the winner of that tie and I saw how big the club was. They have some great players.

“For me I am ever ready to come to Ghana to coach Kotoko.”

Shortly after his parting ways with the San Pedro-based side, Rigo took to Facebook to announce his the decision and thanked the club for their service.

“I am no more the coach of Sewe sport.From March 2013 to March 2015 it has been some wonderful two years with the club. 2 Ivorian National championships, 2 Ivorian Super Cups, second place in the Ivorian Cup, group stages of the CAF Champions league in 2013, finalist in 2014 CAF Confederations Cup.I want to thank everybody. The players, staff, management. I want to take up a new challenge in my career and start a new process”, Heposted on his official Facebook Page.

Sources within the club say the dismissal of Rigo Gervais was linked to a lack of results. Since the start of the League the triple champion of the Ivory Coast has won only one win in nine league games.

Ranking 12th out of 14 clubs, Sewéa was eliminated prematurely in the preliminary stages of the Caf Champions League 2015- a result deemed insufficient by the employers especially for a team that was runner-ups of the confederation.